Meet the Taylor Swift fans who are making their own versions of 'The Tortured Poets Department'

Before she sat down below to listen to Taylor Swift's surprise double album Tortured Poets Section: The Anthology, Samantha Roberts, from Portland, Oregon, felt open to the idea of ​​a 31-song album. But two hours and two minutes later, he changed his mind. “TTPD it absolutely didn't take that long,” says Roberts Rolling rock via email.

Roberts found the album “messy, unfocused, and in need of a good editor,” a sentiment echoed by Pennsylvania native Brooke Thames and Swifty from Speak now time. Thames described her initial reaction TTPD as a “confusion and shock”, noting that the album was chaotic, but not on purpose.

Still, both Roberts and Thames saw flashes of brilliance among the filler. So — taking a page from Swift's book — they created their own versions of it Department of Tormented Poets. The final results, 'I Can Fix' by Thames THE DEPARTMENT OF OBSESSED POETS (No Really I Can)' and Roberts' 'Essential' TTPD,” are two of the hundreds if not thousands of remixes of Swift's 11th studio album that have flooded Apple Music and Spotify since its release in April.

Each edit contains a condensed collection of TTPD tracks, usually totaling between 10 and 16 of the original 31 songs, arranged in a different order. In discussions on social media, people have offered various explanations for their edits: They wanted the album to open on a stronger, more upbeat note, so they swapped out “Fortnight” for “Florida.” they craved a bigger buildup to “But Daddy I Love Him,” so they moved “So High School” in front of it. In short, they wanted TTPD to sound different from the way it was released — so they executive produced a new album based on the menu of songs provided by Swift.

While double albums like Drake's Scorpio has been common in the streaming era since at least 2018, this phenomenon is newer. Tatiana Cirisano, senior music industry analyst at Midia Research, says she's never seen so many fan playlists for one project. He sees it TTPD processed as a natural byproduct of Swift's “extremely active fanbase.”

“Taylor might even have inspired the trend through her own '5 Stages of Heartbreak' playlists,” says Cirisano. Or, perhaps Swift unknowingly planted the seed when she began recording “Taylor's Versions” of her previous albums. Regardless of the origin of the trend, Cirisano believes that TTPD The edits are emblematic of a new kind of fan behavior, inspired by TikTok, where people become more personally involved in their musical experiences. “Today's audience is not content to passively consume the entertainment they're a fan of,” he says. “Instead, they want to be actively involved in it.”

Some fans, like Houston resident Syazween Zainal, were simply gathering the songs they liked in one place. “I didn't want to go through the motions of skipping a 31-song album,” says Zainal. Others seem to have edited for vibes. There are “Upbeat TTPD“Playlists”,TTPD to sleep”, playlists, “TTPD Angry Playlists”, multiple variations of “TTPD for the gym” playlist, and countless “TTPD depression' playlists.

For Alice Bethell, a self-proclaimed Swiftie from the UK, creating a different version of TTPD it made it easier to break away from all the romantic traditions surrounding the album. That's why you won't find “But Daddy I Love Him,” widely interpreted as a song about controversial 1975 frontman Matty Healy, on Bethell's playlist. “It's a fun song,” says Bethell. But his lyrics, especially that part about “vipers dressed in clothing of empathy,” rubbed Bethell the wrong way. “With the awkward element of Healy's previous confrontations, it makes the song feel uncomfortable,” he adds.

Roberts, similarly, edited songs that made her cringe, including “But Daddy I Love Him” ​​and “ThanK You AIMee,” which she says “should never have been recorded, let alone included on the album.” A quick, casual look at the data suggests others feel the same way. Swift's thinly veiled ode to longtime rival Kim Kardashian appears in less than a quarter of TTPD playlists I came across. Only “Cassandra” and “Robin” were less popular.

The people who made their own versions TTPD You don't seem to agree on much other than a strong distaste for “Robin” and a shared appreciation for “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart.” Some playlists have as few as four tracks, while several include all but one of the 31 original songs. Only half of these included the album's title track, 'The Tortured Poets Department'.

“People may argue about which songs are their favourites,” says Zainal, “but I'm at peace with my own playlist.” So does Roberts, who listens to her curated playlist so often she forgets there are other songs. “Once I was able to devote my attention to these selected pieces, I began to connect with the music on a deeper level,” says Roberts, adding, “A decade from now, we may be thinking TTPD to be her Pinkerton. The vulnerability that appears is amazing.”

Roberts ranks his original version TTPD as her fourth favorite Swift album, but says that if Swift had released her own version TTPD, “It would be my favorite album ever. By a mile.” Thames also favors her 14-track arrangement TTPD over the original because he believes it has a clearer narrative that is easier to latch onto.

“This is the version I'll probably be listening to for the rest of the year, which will make Taylor my top artist,” says Thames, adding, “It's going to be funny though, because I don't actually hear what he did.”

And therein lies the irony of the fan. As consumption and creation overlap, it becomes increasingly difficult to know where an artist's product ends and a fan's product begins. But, as Cirisano points out, as long as it's user-generated TTPD playlists help increase streams of the album's original tracks, the entity that ultimately earns most of its many releases TTPD it's not the fans — it's Swift. The genius of it all is that the fans feel they've created something valuable as well.